Promise Me Marry Me
by harpiegal
Summary: Promise Me is set after Advent Children. A chance meeting in Aerith's church with a sick girl makes him see it is possible to let people inside his heart and not worry about them leaving him. Marry Me continues where Promise Me left off and the readers see Cloud tie the knot in front of everyone in town
1. Chapter 1

_Promise Me (A Cloud Strife One Shot)_

_Cloud's POV_:  
>After a long day of making deliveries, I decided to retire to Aerith's church for some much needed sleep. As soon as I opened the church doors, I noticed an unconscious form laying in the flowers. I got closer to see it was a girl around my age, her face very pale. I felt her forehead to find it was very warm, and I knew she must've passed out because she was sick. I knew I couldn't just leave her here, so I decided I was going to take her to Tifa so she could get some help. <p>

_Fast Forward__  
><em> 

Tifa made room for the girl upstairs on her bed, and I laid her down on it. Her black hair brushed slightly against my face, and I noticed it smelt like vanilla. It made me smile slightly, but it disappeared as Tifa entered the room.  
>"Here are some of my clothes she can change into. If she wakes up, Cloud, let me know. I have to finish closing the bar downstairs."<br>"Sure."  
>After Tifa left, the girl started moving around. Her eyes later opened and I saw they were the most beautiful shade of green I ever saw. <p>

_Olivia's POV_:  
>I opened my eyes to see I was lying in a comfortable bed.<br>'This isn't the church. Where have I been taken to?'  
>I looked to see a man my age sitting on a chair beside the bed I was on. His spiky blonde hair seemed to defy the laws of gravity, and it made me want to reach out and run my fingers thought it. I sat up and the bed made noise, causing him to look in my direction.<br>"I see you're awake."  
>"Looks like it. Where am I?"<br>"In a bar called 7th Heaven. I found you in the abandoned church here in town, so I brought you here. You're sick, so my friend is letting you stay in her room."  
>I nodded, but it hurt to do so, so I laid my head down on the pillow again.<br>"My head hurts."  
>"That's what you get for being out when you're clearly not well."<br>I stuck my tongue out at him and looked away. The door opened, and a girl with dark hair and an outfit of black walked in with a bowl of chicken noodle soup.  
>"Good, you're awake. Hopefully this soup will help you feel better. I'm Tifa, and I'll be downstairs if you need anything."<br>I nodded and she left the room, the man following after.  
>"Wait."<br>He stopped and looked at me, and I smiled.  
>"Who do I have to thank for helping me?"<br>"Cloud."  
>"I'm Olivia. I owe you big time for helping me. Anything you need, let me know, and I'll see that you get what you deserve."<br>"I don't want anything from you."  
>He left without another word, and I felt a sudden pain hit my heart. His words hurt me, but I knew there was something else bothering him that caused him to say those words.<br>Over the last week or so, my sickness was gone and I felt as good as new. Cloud's words wouldn't leave my head, and I doubt they ever would. I walked downstairs to see Tifa with a plate of pancakes.  
>"Here's some food before you head out."<br>"Thanks again for your help, Tifa. I hope I wasn't a burden or anything."  
>"Oh, not at all. Cloud didn't seem to mind having you around, either."<br>"He said he doesn't want anything from me, Tifa. I'm burdening him, I know it."  
>"Olivia, if that were the case, he wouldn't have gone through all this trouble to see to it that you got better."<br>I sighed and dug into my pancakes. After I finished, I decided to head over the church to say goodbye to Cloud. I entered to see him kneeling in the group of flowers. He looked up at me, then looked away.  
>"What are you doing here?"<br>"I came to say goodbye to you. I'm better now, so there's no reason to stay any longer. I don't want to burden you anymore. I can see there's no room in your heart to allow me in it, so I don't want to make things hard for you. I thank you for helping me, though."  
>I began to walk away, but he stood up and grabbed my arm softly.<br>"When I said I don't want anything from you, I meant it."  
>"Good to know, Cloud. I-"<br>"Let me finish, Olivia. I don't want anything from you, but I do need something from you."  
>"I don't get it. What do you mean?"<br>"I...need you to promise me something."  
>I could tell it was hard for him to say these words, so I smiled at him. He relaxed a little bit and put both arms around me.<br>"Promise me no matter how much I may act like I don't care, be there for me anyway. I push people away because I'm scared if I get too close, I'll end up losing them."  
>"So, you...want me to stay?"<br>"I do. Will you?"  
>I put my hands on his face and smiled up at him. He smiled back, and it was a sight that I wouldn't mind seeing again.<br>"Of course, I'll stay, Cloud. I've grown quite attached to this place. I can't bear to leave it now."  
>I leaned up and kissed him gently, and he responded eagerly. We both felt a connection when we first met, and we knew we found what the other was looking for. We only have known each other for a week, but we didn't care. All Cloud knew was that he wasn't alone anymore, and neither was I. And this was all because of a promise.<br>_Well, that's a wrap for this oneshot. There's a sequel to this called Marry Me, and I hope you like it _


	2. Chapter 2

_Marry Me (Sequel to Promise Me)_

Quite some time passed after Cloud and I had gotten together. It seems like only yesterday he found me and helped nursed me back to health. Cloud's friends all commented on how I changed him, but I didn't think he needed changing at all. He just wanted to believe in something, someone to care for. One afternoon, I was kneeling beside the flowers in Aerith's church as Cloud softly approached me. He sat down behind me and pulled me into his lap.  
>"I thought I'd find you here."<br>I giggled slightly and leaned back so that my head was on his chest.  
>"You were busy with making deliveries, so I decided to find something to do to keep myself busy."<br>"Well, my deliveries for the day have been made, so I have the rest of the day to spend with you."  
>I blushed as his words touched me. I never knew he could be this romantic and loving, but all it took was some time.<br>"What exactly did you have in mind, Cloud?"  
>"Maybe go for a walk or something. It's too nice of a day to be cooped up inside."<br>"I agree. Let's go to the park that just opened."  
>"Sure thing."<br>After arriving at the park, we sat down on a bench and watched the children play on the playground equipment. On occasion they would stop and wave at us, and we would be persuaded to play with them. With Cloud around, the lives of those children never had a dull moment.  
>"Olivia, I've been meaning to talk to you about something. It's...it's been bugging me for a while now, and I want to get it off my chest."<br>"Sure, Cloud. What is it?"  
>We walked behind an apple tree and he took both of my hands in his. He leaned forward so that his forehead touched mine, and the blush on my face returned.<br>"I never knew that the day I found you would have changed my life so much. That one week completely changed me, Olivia, and I have you to thank for it. For all that you've done for me, I wanted to thank you in a way that you'll remember."  
>I looked at Cloud confused, but the look turned to surprise as he got down on one knee in front of me. <p>

_Cloud's POV_:  
>As I got down on one knee, the look on Olivia's face turned to surprise. What I was about to do now would change both of our live forever, and that there was no turning back once it was out in the open.<br>"Olivia, you and your love have changed me into a new man. I used to be cold, distant, and push away anyone that tried to get close to me. You helped me realize that Aerith and Zack's deaths weren't my fault, and that they never blamed me for what had happened to them."  
>Tears fell down her face as I presented her with a gold ring on top of which was a beautiful diamond. I smiled and took her other hand in mine.<br>"Olivia, will you do me the honor of marrying me and becoming Mrs. Strife?"  
>As I put the ring on her finger, she didn't speak for a while. Any other person would have been worried, but I knew she was just letting it sink in. After all, it's not every day a woman gets proposed to.<br>"Oh, Cloud, of course I will."  
>I picked her up and spun her around. Silent tears fell down her face, and I knew they were of happiness.<br>Months later, a great ceremony was held in Aerith's newly remodeled church. Everyone in Midgar had decided to attend. I was waiting at the altar beside Tifa, who was going to be marrying me and Olivia. Cid was my best man, Yuffie was Olivia's maid of honor, and Marlene and Denzel were the flower girl and ring bearer. As Olivia walked down the flower-covered aisle, I felt my eyes get teary as I saw how beautiful she looked. Tifa smiled at me and giggled.  
>"She does look beautiful, Cloud. I'm glad you found someone that makes you so happy."<br>"Thanks, Tifa."  
>As Olivia stood beside me, we held each other's hands as Marlene held her bouquet of flowers. We had decided to say our own vows, and I spoke first.<br>"Who knew that we would be standing here today surrounded by so many friends and loved ones? I never imagined this could happen to someone like me, especially after all I've been through. You changed me for the better, Olivia, and I'm glad to have found someone like you."  
>Tears fell down her face as I said those words, then she spoke up next.<br>"I never imagined it happening to me either, Cloud. When we first met, I wasn't sure what to think of you. You were distant and not very warm. That week I stayed in 7th Heaven while I was sick made me realize you needed someone to just care for you and be there whenever you needed them, so I made it a goal of mine to be that person. When you proposed to me, I knew I had found the right person to give it to me."  
>After we gave each other our rings, Tifa looked to the crowd with a smile on her face.<br>"As I stand here before you all today, I now present these fine people to be man and wife. Cloud, you may kiss your bride."  
>I lifted Olivia's veil and smiled. As we kissed in front of all of the people of Midgar, I couldn't help but think of everything we went through to get to this point. There had been many riots, wars, and arguments between myself and Olivia, but we got through them together. As we broke apart, Tifa said the words that I knew would change my life forever.<br>"People of Midgar, I present to you Mr. and Mrs. Cloud Strife."  
>As we walked out of the church, many smiled and congratulated us. We got onto Fenrir and rode to our new home. It was a 3bedroom, 2 bathroom house with a spacious living room, kitchen, and balconies in each bedroom. The master bedroom had a huge walk-in closet for our clothes and weapons, and the master bathroom had a deep, jacuzzi style tub that was perfect for two people. I looked to my new wife and smiled.<br>"What do you say we try out our new jacuzzi, Mrs. Strife?"  
>She smirked and kissed the tip of my nose.<br>"I'd be delighted to, Mr. Strife."  
>As we spent our first night together as a married couple, I kept thinking of how I ended up being so lucky as to have found someone like Olivia. I had no idea anything like this would ever happen to someone like me, and it looks like Olivia changed that for me. I'm glad I met her, and I wouldn't trade it for anything.<br>_That's it for this chapter. Hope you liked it. _:)


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